March 2014: The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) has released a working paper, titled ‘Trees on Farms – an update and reanalysis of agroforestry’s global extent and socio-ecological characteristics,’ which profiles the extent and characteristics of agroforestry around the world. The paper demonstrates an increase in the extent of agroforestry, noting that the number of people engaged in agroforestry also increased between 2000 and 2010.

The assessment, based on global satellite data, reveals that 43 percent of agricultural land includes some form of agroforestry, with coverage greatest in Central America. Defined as a tree cover of at least 10 percent, agroforestry, globally in 2010, occurred over 1 billion hectares and was practiced by more than 900 million people.

The report, covering an 11 year time period, notes that the greatest expansion of agroforestry took place in South America, followed by South Asia. However, the assessment reveals that agroforestry in Northern and Central Asia has decreased. The publication also denotes a strong positive correlation between agroforestry and humidity.

ICRAF is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Publication: Trees on Farms: An Update and Reanalysis of Agroforestry’s Global Extent and Socio-ecological Characteristics]